The Suite Spot was live at the 2025 NYU IHIF conference last week, covering the event to bring hoteliers exclusive content and insight on the most prevalent topics and trends in the hospitality industry currently. Tune in now to get the pulse on how investors, owners, hoteliers, and guests are feeling about the industry and where they see it headin…

Be sure to catch the debut episode of the all-new Suite Spot: Independent Hotel Show Series. Suite Spot first-timer, and special guest, Kat Woods of NYC Women of Hospitality, joins the podcast to discuss critical topics including: The Importance of Women in Hospitality 2025 Independent Hotel Show Miami Social Media and Its Impact on the Hotel Guest…

Joining Mike on this episde of Hitting Left are Texas 60's activists and authors Thorne Dreyer and Alice Embree.

The Suite Spot travels to the heart of Orlando, Florida, to visit the luxurious and one-of-a-kind property, Conrad Orlando! This hotel and resort is unlike any other with its sensational amenities, lavish suites, breath taking beaches, and centralized lagoon right in the middle of the resort. General Manager at the property, Sean McCarron, joins th…

The Travel Media Group digital solution has hit the monumental milestone of responding to over 2 million online guest reviews for our hotel partners. To commemorate such a major achievement, Chief Technology Officer, Jason Lee, and Director of Product – Respond & Resolve™, Jackie Avery, join the Suite Spot to discuss this accolade, what it means to…

On this special episode of the Suite Spot, Managing Director at Green Key Global, Anick Levesque, shares insight on several new programs and initiatives that hoteliers can leverage to bolster their sustainability efforts across their portfolios to make a significant impact on the environment. This episode emphasizes eco-friendly implementation to c…

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is Bill Ayers, teacher, activist, and author. They discuss the current assault on academic freedom.

In the latest Suite Spot: Spotlight series episode, we travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to showcase the one-of-a-kind, AAA Four Diamond Hilton hotel – The Signia by Hilton Atlanta! Director of Sales at the property, Julia Austin, sits down with the Suite Spot to give travelers a keen look at why this newly built hotel not only broke new ground, but is a…

Joining Mike on this editon of Hitting Left is former Congresswomen Marie Newman who returns to the studio to talk about her new book, A Life Made from Scratch. We used to call her the “machine buster.”

In this episode, Alexi Khajavi, President of Hospitality, Travel & Wellness at Questex, joins the Suite Spot to give listeners a preview of the upcoming NYU IHIF 2025 event taking place in New York City on June 1-June 3, 2025. This industry event is one of the most elite hospitality investment forums in the world, so tune in to find out why you sho…

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is educator, author, and Chicago Board of Ed member, Elizabeth Todd-Breland. She's written a biography of the late, great, former CTU President, Karen Lewis.

Tune in to the latest Suite Spot episode featuring TMG’s very own Chief Technology Officer, Jason Lee, as he gives listeners the latest update on our newest innovation, SMART Response powered by TMG AI. Hear about the development, successes, and challenges of building a guest review response solution with the ingenuity of artificial intelligence. R…

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left are Jason Rieger from Indivisible Chicago, Tom Grace, historian, author, and veteran of the Kent State shootings of 1970, and Jerry Harris, author and prominent figure in the study of globalization and its impact on society.

Suite Spot host, Ryan Embree, breaks down the key takeaways from the 2025 Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, from March 17-19. This prestigious annual industry event provided valuable insights, numerous panels, and notable speakers from all across the hotel industry. Learn what critical factors are shaping hos…

Brother Fred joins Mike in this edition of Hitting Left to discuss New York mayoral politics, the spineless national Democrats and Signalgate.

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is former Chicago Mayor Lori LIghtfoot to discuss Trump's attack on the cities.

Tune in to the inaugural installment of the Suite Spot: Road Trip series! In this episode the Suite Spot takes a drive to SpringHill Suites Jacksonville Beach Oceanfront to meet with Area General Manager, Alex Reitter, and Area Director of Marketing & Sales, Samantha Pritchard. Alex and Samantha give viewers an inside look at the property’s signatu…

Tune in to this quarterly episode to hear from Chirag Shah of the American Hotel & Lodging Association to get the state of the hospitality industry. As EVP, Federal and Political Affairs & Counsel, Chirag, gives immense insight into challenges, patterns, and trends impacting the hotel industry and how the AHLA is helping hoteliers overcome the econ…

Joining Mike this edition of Hitting Left is Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long and Democratic Party consultant Alaina Hampton to disucuss convicted former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Illinois' culture of corruption

A familiar face returns to the Suite Spot in this special episode. Richard Alberigo, CEO & President of Alberigo Hotel Management, joins the podcast to discuss what his hotel management group has been up to over the last couple of years, how the hospitality industry is rapidly evolving with AI technology, new guest preferences, and how to acquire t…

Sarah Moss, Chief of Staff at Hunter Hotel Advisors, joins the Suite Spot to discuss the upcoming 36th annual Hunter Hotel Investment Conference and give hoteliers a look at what they can look forward to from the event. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the live sessions, panels, notable speakers, and on-site entertainment at the 2025 HHI…

Joining Mike and Susan on this edition of Hitting left is author ands poet Hilton Obenzinger. They discuss the Judaism v. Zionism debate, Trump's plan for a Gaza Riviera, and other madman MAGA tactics.

Joining MIke as cohost this editon of Hitting Left is Susan Klonsky. The guests are the author and cartoon artist Ryan Alexander-Tanner and immigrant rights activist Rev. Sandra Castillo. Ryan Alexander-Tanner has written and illustrated a book about Muhammad Ali. Susan and Mike will get the latest update on President Trump’s threatened assault on …

In this episode of the Suite Spot, we welcome Micajah Sturdivant, CEO of MMI Hospitality, as the newest addition to the TMG Hospitality Trailblazers series. With a background in hospitality and hotel management spanning generations in his family, Micajah gives audiences a unique take on how hospitality has evolved over the decades and how MMI Hospi…

Former death row inmates, now Chicago anti-death-penalty activists Renaldo Hudson and Stanley Howard joined by Liz Futrell, author of "Lessons from Death Row."

Suite Spot host, Ryan Embree, and Travel Media Group Director of Product - Respond and Resolve™, Jackie Avery, break down the top 5 guest sentiment tags of 2024 and give explain what insights these tags hold for hoteliers. Tune in to the first episode of 2025 and learn how to leverage this data for your hotel portfolio to kick off the new year.Epis…

Catch the 2024 TMG Year in Review episode with Travel Media Group President, Dana Singer as she joins the Suite Spot to discuss all the milestones and monumental achievements this past year and what hoteliers can expect from TMG in 2025.Episode TranscriptOur podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognitio…

In this episode of the Suite Spot, the head of marketing at Springboard Hospitality, Jason Pirock sits down with podcast host, Ryan Embree, to discuss the incredible Springboard Hospitality brand, exciting hotel developments, social media strategies, and much more. Tune in now to learn more about what makes the Springboard Hospitality brand one-of-…

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is basketball coach turned novelist Rus Bradburd and filmmaker Floyd Webb. Floyd and Mike will be talking about the Black Panthers on the 55th anniversary of the murder of Illinois Black Panther Chairman, Fred Hampton.

Tune in to the the latest Suite Spot episode to hear from Senior Product Manager at Booking.com, Laura Xhaferaj as she breaks down the guest review score update being rolled out by Booking.com and how this new innovation will impact travelers, hotels, and hotel management groups alike. Episode TranscriptOur podcast is produced as an audio resource.…

Joining Mike and co-host Susan Klonsky on this edition of Hitting Left is Rabbi Brant Rosen from Chicago's anti-Zionist Tzedek Congregation. Gaza, Lebanon, and resistance to war and genocide in the Trump era are the topics for discussion.

Joining Hitting Left host Mike Klonsky onthis edition is Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East and the Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University.

In the wake of the election of Donald Trump Mike is joined by former co-host Fred Klonsky and political strategist Joanna Klonsky to discuss the results and where we go now.

In this special episode, Suite Spot Host, Ryan Embree covers 5 key takeaways from the 2024 The Hospitality Show that took place in San Antonio, Texas. The industry event was one-of-a-kind and featured incredible panelists, vendors, guest speakers, interviews, and much more from the hospitality industry. Tune in now to get the latest details from th…

The Guest Experience Snapshot powered by TMG Oneview® AI is here!Tune in to hear from the Chief Technology Officer at Travel Media Group, Jason Lee, on the latest technological innovation being offered to hoteliers as a part of our digital solutions for hotels.This new offering uses generative AI in a unique way to help hoteliers interpret guest fe…

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is Juan Gonzalez, co-Host of Democracy Now!, Senior Fellow at Great Cities Institute of UIC, founding member of the Young Lords and leader of the '68 protest at Columbia University. Juan Gonzalez is author of a new study of the "Brown Belt" in Chicago.

The Suite Spot visits the Hyde Midtown Miami in the next episode of the Spotlight series. General Manager of the hotel, Henry Martinez joins the podcast to give travelers an insightful look into the guest experience and what makes the property one-of-a-kind for travelers. Episode TranscriptOur podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts a…

Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is author, educator, activist and long-time friend, Bill Ayers. His latest book is called, When Freedom is the Question, Abolition is the Answer: Reflections on Collective Liberation.

The Suite Spot is spotlighting the beautiful and newly renovated Regent Santa Monica Beach with special guest and General Manager of the property, Younes Atallah! This episode covers all the exciting things travelers can look forward to from their stay at the property including dining, amenities, local attractions, and much more.Tune in now! Episod…

Check out the latest Suite Spot episode where President - Hospitality, Travel, & Wellness at Questex, Alexi Khajavi, sits down on the podcast to discuss the highly anticipated Hospitality Show 2024 in San Antonio, Texas!This special episode will cover what attendees can expect this year from the event, some urgent issues facing the hospitality indu…

Another edition of Hitting Left Music feathering Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Paul Robeson, 10,000 Maniacs, Tom Morello, Mavis Staples, and more.

Join the Suite Spot in this quarterly series to hear from American Hotel & Lodging Association President & CEO, Kevin Carey, on the state of the hospitality industry and recent developments being made by the AHLA to move the industry forward. Episode TranscriptOur podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech reco…

Joining Mike on day three of the DNC shows are Arielle Rebekah and Beth Miller Jewsih Voice for Peace.

On day two of the Democratic National Convention Mike is joined by long-time activists Peter Kuttner, Susan Klonsky, Mike James and Bill Ayers. All five were student and community activists at the time of the 1968 Democratic Convention. On this edition of Hitting Left Mike, Peter, Susan, Mike James and Bill recall the historic protests.…

In the grand finale of the TMG Hospitality Campus Crawl, we visit one of the top-ranked hospitality programs in the country at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management. The Dean of the college, Dr. Cynthia Mejia, joins the Suite Spot to discuss the hospitality school and why it is one of the most successful in the world! Check out the conversati…

This edition of Hitting Left with Miike Klonsky and Friends, the Democratic National Convention shows, include Pushkar Sharma, co-founder and president of the South-Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy Acts, or SACRED, and Dr. Dilara Sayeed, president of the Muslim Civic Coalition.

This special Democratic National Convention edition of Hitting Left with Mike Klonsky and Friends has former Democratic congresswoman from the 3rd CD in Chicago, Marie Newman, film maker and community activist Floyd Webb and community activist Katy Hogan.

Check out the latest TMG Hospitality Trailblazers episode featuring the Executive Vice President of Development at Gibson Hospitality Ventures, Joseph Grieco!This episode takes a deeper look into the Gibson Hospitality Ventures brand culture, hotel portfolio, and company initiatives that are setting the stage for more organizational success.Get an …

On this week's episode of Hitting Left the brothers discuss the current state of the election, the choice of Tim Walz at VP, the upcoming DNC in Chicago. They also look back at the 68 Democratic Convention in Chicago, planned protests at the upcoming Chicago convention, the impact of the war on Gaza and more.…

TMG Hospitality Trailblazers continues with the Senior Vice President & Global Brand Leader of Hampton by Hilton, Shruti Buckley! In this celebratory episode, Shruti joins the Suite Spot to discuss the 40-year anniversary of Hampton by Hilton by taking a look back on the brand's origins and where the franchise is headed in the near future with exci…